


Better Than a Cheap Magazine

by seraphina_snape



Series: Team Thief V-Day Ficlets [5]
Category: Leverage
Genre: Background Het, Background Relationships, F/M, Gen, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-17
Updated: 2013-02-17
Packaged: 2017-11-29 13:24:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/687456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seraphina_snape/pseuds/seraphina_snape
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Parker has never done Valentine's Day before. She goes to Nate for advice.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Better Than a Cheap Magazine

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Team Thief V-Day Love Fest. This ficlet is for [kissofcinnamon](http://kissofcinnamon.livejournal.com/profile).
> 
> I tagged this work with F/M, Parker/Hardison & Nate/Sophie, but the relationships are only the background for the conversation happening in here. Hardison and Sophie aren't in this fic and it's more about the father-daughter/mentor-student relationship between Nate and Parker than it is about any of the pairings.

"Parker?" Nate squints in the half-dark of the early morning. The only light in the apartment comes from the street lamps outside, but Parker's blond hair is hard to miss. He switches on the nearest lamp and screws his eyes shut, momentarily blinded by the brightness. 

When Nate opens his eyes again, he finds Parker is sitting on his living room couch, legs curled up on the cushion next to her. She's chewing on her bottom lip and staring at the dark computer screen wall. 

"What are you doing here at-" Nate glances at his watch "-six thirty on a Saturday morning?" 

Nate likes to think he's trained the team out of using the fact that his place doubles as their headquarters as carte blanche to come and go as they please. He also knows that he's kidding himself - they haven't stopped invading his space at all times of day (and night). They've merely stopped letting him catch them. Sometimes it's frightening to have all that criminal potential staring him in the face, but then Nate remembers they're the good guys now and he can breathe again. 

Parker shifts on the couch, letting her legs drop down to the floor. Nate is about to scold her for having her boots on his couch - if they behave like children, he's going to treat them like children - when Parker blurts out: "It's Valentine's Day today." 

Nate blinks. He hasn't had coffee yet. It's too early to deal with Parker. 

Parker trails him into the kitchen and watches while he starts a pot of coffee. 

"It's just that you and Sophie are doing your thing and Hardison and I are doing our thing and you know what everyone is forgetting here?" 

Nate just shakes his head.

"Gifts!" Parker says. "You're supposed to give your boyfriend a gift on Valentine's Day. A romantic one!"

Nate shrugs. Maybe it's the scent of the coffee slowly starting to permeate the air, but he manages a verbal reply as well. "Parker, you know Hardison. Get a video game. It'll be fine." 

Obviously Nate has seriously underestimated Parker's distress though because she makes a noise like a dying bunny rabbit and slumps against the refrigerator. "It's supposed to be romantic." Parker holds up a hand. "Wait, I remember this. The gift is supposed to be thoughtful, playful, romantic and personal." 

"Says who?" Nate asks. As far as he knows, flowers and chocolate are the most common Valentine's Day gift from a man to a woman. Flowers, roses especially, might be romantic, but thoughtful? Playful? Personal? Not so much. 

"Every magazine I've read in the last week to prepare for today," Parker says. 

Nate groans. Of course Parker would do _research_ on Valentine's Day. If he was to search her place, he'd probably find her planning board full of copied down advice from various magazines, together with a strategy on how to make this Valentine's Day the most perfect evening.

"Parker, that's not how it works. You're your own person. Do it your way." 

Parker frowns at him. "But I don't have a way. I've never done Valentine's Day before." She tilts her head to the side, considering. "Well, I have, but not in the way you're supposed to, I think. Unless Valentine's Day usually involves stolen pastries and credit card scams." 

"I just meant that you don't have to follow the advice from those magazines blindly. Just get something Hardison would like." 

"Hmm." 

The coffee is almost done and Nate walks around Parker to get to the mugs. 

"Nate?"

"Yes?" 

"What are you giving Sophie?" 

Nate shoots a look at the stairs, as if saying her name might bring Sophie downstairs on a Saturday before eight A.M. When she doesn't materialize, he turns back to Parker. "A print of the painting she was trying to steal when we first met." 

"Why don't you give her the original? I bet Sophie would like that more." 

Nate sighs. "The original is in a museum in Prague and it's staying there." 

Parker rolls her eyes. "Fine. But that's still thoughtful and personal." 

"Then think about it. What does Hardison like?" 

Parker's expression brightens. "Computers. Video games. Me." 

"Okay. So he already has several computers," Nate says.

"And he has me and lots of video games," Parker adds, deflating a little. 

"Is there a video game he likes but doesn't have?" 

"Well, he's been talking about one of those old arcade games, with the joystick and the buttons and the-- you know what, Nate? I have to go!" Parker is halfway out the window when she sticks her head back in. "And thanks!" 

Nate doesn't know if Parker can still hear him, but he can't not shout "Don't steal it!" after her.


End file.
